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Loeb set a standard in WRC that will be tough to beat

October 6, 2012

Sébastien Loeb, who is cutting his WRC schedule back to just four or five races in 2013, has 75 career wins in the series. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Sébastien Loeb has won his ninth and final World Rally Championship title on Sunday. He will be back for a partial program next year, but he says that it will be only “four or five” rallies, starting in Monte Carlo and likely to include Sweden, France, Germany and Argentina.

He's already broken all the records. His tally after the latest win in France is 75 career victories, which is just under half of the 162 world rallies that he has started to date. It's gotten to the point, where as says there's nothing left to prove.

He's won 23 different rallies at least once and earned more money than he ever dreamed of.

So it's time for a new challenge--and that's likely to be the World Touring Car Championship.

“If you want to have a new challenge, you have to stop some day,” Loeb said. “It's something that I've been considering for a while. I have to stop rallying if I want to do something else in the future, I cannot wait until I am 50.”

Of course, Loeb won the title in 2006 even when he was forced to miss the last four rounds with a broken shoulder after falling off a mountain bike, but he's categorically ruled out any sort of title defense next year.

“That's not the plan: if my aim was to win the championship then I would do all the rallies,” he said. “Doing some rallies is just a way to spend some time next year, as we don't have a car to do the WTCC in 2013. The only reason why I am doing some rallies is to keep some competition experience.”

The huge number of fans who flocked to Alsace--the home of Rally France and Loeb himself--to see their superstar clinch his final rally title were witnessing the end of an era.

The 38-year-old is normally a quiet and reserved individual, who is certainly not prone to any excessive displays of emotion. But winning the title on home turf--just as he did in 2007--clearly meant a lot. His piercing blue eyes were for once not entirely dry; the final two rallies of his last full season, Italy and Spain, will now be a triumphant farewell tour: even though he will be back next year.

“I always said that I would continue as long as the motivation was there, and already last year I had some doubts if I wanted to do this season, “ he said. “Now it's time for me to go and I feel comfortable with that decision. I know people are talking about it a lot now, but for me it's really not such a big deal as I've been thinking this way for quite a while.”

Here are just a few other examples of the indelible dent Loeb will leave in the history books: 1500 points scored, 866 fastest stage times, 11 victories in one season (2008), a clean sweep of all the fastest stage times on one rally (Corsica 2005) plus 28 consecutive finishes in the points (Poland 2009 to Australia 2011). While the numbers are impressive, they could grow. After all, the greatest rally driver who ever lived isn't quite done yet.

Loeb's WRC career

9: World titles shared with co-driver Daniel Elena

75: Number of WRC event wins

2: Rallies remaining before he calls time on full-time WRC career

162: Number of WRC starts to date

1999: Year of Loeb's WRC debut in Catalunya

4: Rounds missed after breaking shoulder in 2006 - he still claimed title

874: Fastest stage times set

1525: WRC points scored

100: Percentage of stages won on Tour de Corse in 2005

23: Different world championship rallies won

6: Record held by Loeb for most WRC event wins in a row, achieved twice